I Write, Sometimes

💀 Do not try to force writers to create the content you want! 

💀 Do not harass writers for creating content you don’t like! 

💀 Do not harass writers for creating content you know you shouldn’t be looking at!

💀 IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, STOP READING IT. 💀

As much as we all love badasses the whole “punch first and then don’t even ask questions later” gets really boring, really fast for me. I also think it’s a bit of a cop-out to make your female OCs “emotionless” and “aloof” and “snarky” because they just can’t be fighters otherwise, I mean, I guess! (Anyone remember Ty Lee? She was super bubbly and could also murder you before you had time to blink). It also tends to steer into that otherwise badass lady character being toxic and abusive to other characters because they aren’t allowed to react with other characters and the setting with any nuance. Which is gross and hard to read.

Basically, if being a snarky, overbearing asshole looks bad on a male character--then those same traits aren’t going to magically become “cool” or subversive because you stuck them on a female OC. (I know there are a lot of people who stan really mean OCs even though they’ve been given no redeeming qualities...I’m just ignoring them).

Let female OCs start using their heads to get out of things and not their fists, is basically what I’m saying. Writing a strong character doesn’t mean make them LITERALLY a bulldozer.

Cool. Cool thing you did there. Cool way for an adult to treat a child.

I wonder how they’re going to respond the next time they see something fucked up in fandom, or worse, experience it. Like the rampant sexual harassment and assault at conventions. Do you think they’re going to talk to an adult? Or do you think they’re going to internalise it as just part of the fandom and their fault for showing up?

If a 12 year old snuck into see Deadpool or It and then complained to the threats about it, the theater would probably call their parents and report them for sneaking into an R rated movie.

Ratings are their for a reason.

T H A T is the fucking truth right there. I get sick of hearing “I’m a minor, it’s your responsibility as an adult to protect me from seeing bad things!!” and then when my response is “stay away from my blog, stay away from my AO3, and if you aren’t old enough to be seeing occasional porn then tumblr isn’t a good place for you because it’s a poorly designed website and you’re gonna stumble on that shit”, then I’m still not doing my job.

Warnings are posted for a reason. As a content creator, the extent of my responsibility is to appropriately rate and tag things that have potentially upsetting content. Avoiding those things is the responsibility of the consumer, not the creator.

I try not to go into huge lengths with clothes, personally. But you can really characterize an outfit by just offering a small bit of information.

For example “I tugged my boots on,” “she grabbed hold of his checkered tie,” or “her jeans sat low on her hips.”

These focus on just one aspect of the outfit, but they paint a fairly vivid image in the reader’s mind. You can associate quite a few things with just singular garments, as well as the type of character who might wear them.

If you’re writing a script, it’s usually customary to give a brief description of the clothing worn, or just a generic cliche. “JOHN, 26, wearing nerd glasses,” or “BARISTA, forties, in uniform,” gives you a characterization with just a few words. In a script, the audience will be seeing the whole outfit, so just a single detail or two is enough if it’s necessary at all.

Readers don’t need you to hold their hand every step of the way. Part of what we like about reading is filling in details in our own mind. Think about your genre and what you would like to read.

An example of a problematic character would be a stock character of a marginalized group that’s reduced to a conglomeration of stereotypes that have a harmful effect on people from that group in the real world.

A problematic character is not a developed character with developed flaws and belief systems that people irl happen to be at odds with. It is not a character that interacts with other characters in ways that hurt them within the narrative. That’s what a story is. That’s what creating characters means. Developing a fleshed-out fictional person to serve a function within one’s narrative.

An example of a problematic character would be a stock character of a marginalized group that’s reduced to a conglomeration of stereotypes that have a harmful effect on people from that group in the real world.

A problematic character is not a developed character with developed flaws and belief systems that people irl happen to be at odds with. It is not a character that interacts with other characters in ways that hurt them within the narrative. That’s what a story is. That’s what creating characters means. Developing a fleshed-out fictional person to serve a function within one’s narrative.